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Emily says:
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Stress, is it all in your mind? Stress provides us with a vivid and dramatic example of the mind’s power over the body. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines stress as: “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.” No one likes to feel “stressed-out” but why should we be so concerned about reducing our stress levels beyond just the desire to feel a little calmer? Besides making us feel bad psychologically, does stress affect our body making us also feel bad physically? Do you find that during periods of extreme mental stress you also get more colds, more flues, look sick and generally fell unwell? Stress is not just all in your mind. When a person is under stress his or her mind triggers the body’s sympathetic or “fight or flight” nervous system. Also called the “acute stress response,” this is essentially the body’s emergency system. When it is active your heart and lung rates increase, many blood vessels will constrict, your pupils will dilate and more. These physical responses are intended to prepare the body to deal with extreme danger. This is important when danger is actually present but completely inappropriate for a person who is not in danger and say, sitting at a desk, or on a couch. Fight or flight will also suppresses the activities of the parasympathetic nervous system (called the “rest and digest” system) which works to conserve and calm your body’s energy so things such as the immune system can do the work of keeping your body healthy. People who are under stress for a prolonged period of time, as more and more of us seem to be these days, are chronically suppressing their immune system leaving themselves vulnerable to infection and incapable of fighting off damaging bacteria and viruses. The good news is that there are a number of simple, noninvasive ways that we can reduce the stress we place on our bodies and on our minds. If we work to integrate these calming therapies into our day-to-day schedule, we will not only live longer, healthier lives, we will also feel better, be more present and simply, be happier. The following articles will discuss a few of the many ways that we can work towards living a stress-free life, from yoga to massage to acupuncture to nutrition. We will become aware of the mind-body connection and how we can use this to optimize our overall well-being. Editor's note: Emily is an amazing massage therapist and a warehouse of health information. That's why I chose her for this column and include her therapy in my health routine. |